Wealth Hacks
4 Ways To Increase Wealth Using Charles Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution
Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution revolutionized the scientific understanding of nature and biology. But because evolution is among the most counter-intuitive ideas in science, its public acceptance has been limited.
There are many intelligent and educated people who still do not fully understand or believe it. And more who may accept it as a scientific truth but have not adopted evolution into their mental toolkit, and do not apply it to their perception of reality each and every day.
Here are 4 ways Darwinian thinking can help you understand money, finance and markets, and help you build and protect your wealth:
1. Consider the stock market a biosphere of public corporations that live, evolve and die like plants and animals
The national financial folk wisdom of 1955 was, “As General Motors goes, so goes the nation.” Bankruptcy for GM was not only unimaginable, it would assuredly bring the nation down with it.
Yet as we all know GM did indeed go bankrupt in 2009, wiping out common shareholders. And the nation not only survived, our GDP has since nearly septupled, soaring from $2.8 trillion in 1955 to $18 trillion last year.
The DJIA is up from 488 to 26,000 this year.
Folk wisdom and common sense can be myopic, and perceive only the present-day reality projected upon the future. Why else should we be shocked by aging celebrities? Or when venerable corporations cease to outperform, and upstarts such as the FANG gang (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google) take center stage.
“If current trends continue” always sounds prescient. But current trends never continue indefinitely in organic systems where birth, growth, death and evolution rule. The “widows’ and orphans’ stocks” of the 1950s, the stocks that would always be there, cannot always be there.
Corporations, like people, routinely grow, age and die. So how do you deal with it? Like evolution, you adapt. To a Darwinian thinker the true widows’ and orphans’ “stock” is a diversified index fund that will endure and grow, even as its components ripen, wither, fade, merge, are replaced and even die.
2. View every living thing, every financial entity, as primarily interested in its own survival, prosperity, expansion or reproduction
Long before Darwin, Adam Smith wisely wrote, “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” Here’s the short version, courtesy of Warren Buffett: “Never ask the barber if you need a haircut.”
When buying stocks, insurance, or any other service, financial or otherwise, always remember the self-interest of the broker and the seller. A surgeon performs surgery. A lawyer bills every hour. A stockbroker lives on commissions.
A commissioned stockbroker who is reluctant to execute your order to buy shares of Berkshire Hathaway (full disclosure, I buy them, own them and have never sold them) knows you are statistically less likely to sell Berkshire than most other holdings; the money that purchases shares of Berkshire may likely never yield commissions or fees for any broker ever again.
3. Understand that deception and fraud are key survival tactics in biology and finance
A cat deceptively raises its hackles to inflate its size and intimidate enemies and predators. Other animals use mimicry, camouflage, surprise, and even feign injury or death to survive or devour prey.
Consider the Bible, which introduces the power of deception in human life: the serpent deceives Eve, Cain kills Abel and seems to deceive God. Believe it as literal truth or accept it as parable, Bible stories bespeak an essential truth about the centrality of deception in the biosphere.
So why should we expect to escape deception in the high stakes world of finance? While financial professionals provide customers with needed services, self-interest — conscious or not — may lead them to recommend managed mutual funds, closed-end funds, annuities, or complex insurance policies which provide large fees and commissions but may not serve the best interests of the client.
A broker recommending purchases to a client is not held to the fiduciary standard — to act solely in the interests of the client — but only a “suitability” standard, which leaves plenty of room to aggressively sell financial products that are lucrative for the seller, but not the buyer.
4. Realize that our instinct to trust our fellow creatures represents an eternal vulnerability in financial transactions
Humans are social animals, and humanity is a team sport. We are congenial and credulous by nature, which was necessary for the tribal life we evolved from, and is necessary still for sustaining the communal and national life in which we now live, work and prosper.
The counter-trend, so evident in wartime but also present in our workaday world — in media, markets, finance, government and even, courtship and family life — is manipulation and betrayed trust. Think of “fake news.” Think of the indicted politician, the con artist, the criminal, the sociopath.
But the Machiavellian betrayal of trust can be adaptive even in successful professionals, entrepreneurs, sales, courtship, marriage and family. A small child caught misbehaving by his father has a stock answer: “Mommy said I could.”
So how can we protect ourselves from our own congenital credulousness when approaching financial markets? Read, study and listen to credible sources that have a long track record of honesty and integrity.
If there were a Mt. Rushmore of investing I would nominate these three wise men: John C. (Jack) Bogle, Warren E. Buffett and Charles T. (Charlie) Munger. They have each long honored their investors as partners and friends and have grown their wealth alongside them.
My current book, Anyone Can Be Rich!: A Psychiatrist Provides the Mental Tools to Build Your Wealth, is dedicated to all of them — and was commended by Mr. Buffett himself.
This article originally appeared on ValueWalk. Follow ValueWalk on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
In times of economic uncertainty, gold has long been a reliable investment option for those looking to hedge against inflation and volatility.
If you’re looking to invest in the production of gold, as well as gold itself, here are three stocks you can buy inside the NYCE app today.
1. Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD)
Barrick Gold Corporation is one of the largest gold mining companies in the world with operations in North America, South America, Africa, and Australia.
Performance: Barrick Gold Corporation has experienced steady growth in the past decade, with its stock price increasing by 31% from 2010 to 2020.
Known for: Barrick Gold Corporation is a leader in responsible mining practices, and is committed to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
NYCE APP CTA:
2. Newmont Corporation (NEM)
Newmont Corporation is one of the world’s leading gold mining companies with operations in North America, South America, Australia, and Africa.
Performance: Newmont Corporation has experienced significant growth in the past decade, with its stock price increasing by 184% from 2010 to 2020.
Known for: Newmont Corporation has a strong track record of responsible mining, and has been recognized as a leader in environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
3. Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV)
Franco-Nevada Corporation is a royalty and streaming company that provides financing to gold mining companies in exchange for a share of their future production.
Performance: Franco-Nevada Corporation has experienced substantial growth in the past decade, with its stock price increasing by 780% from 2010 to 2020.
Known for: Franco-Nevada Corporation offers investors exposure to the gold industry without the risks associated with mining operations, making it a popular choice among risk-averse investors.
From selling cookies on the streets of New York to sending personalized messages on potatoes, these five entrepreneurs turned their unconventional ideas into multi-million dollar businesse
- “How a High School Dropout Made $10 Million Playing Video Games Online”
This story is about Matthew Haag, also known as Nadeshot.
Nadeshot. 🤨
He dropped out of high school to pursue a career in gaming and became a professional gamer. He has since won multiple championships and has a large following on social media.
- “Meet the Teen Who Turned His Hobby into a $1 Million E-Commerce Business”
This story is about Cory Nieves, also known as Mr. Cory.
Mr. Cory started a cookie business at the age of six, selling cookies on the streets of New York.
He eventually turned his hobby into a successful e-commerce business, selling cookies online and in stores.
He has been featured on various media outlets and has even baked cookies for Oprah Winfrey.
- “The Surprising Story of the Stay-at-Home Mom Who Made $100K in One Year Blogging About Knitting”
This story is about Sarah Corey, who started a knitting blog called “My Simple Knitting” while staying at home to raise her children.
Her blog became popular and she eventually started selling knitting patterns and products.
She made over $100K in one year from her blog and has since turned her passion for knitting into a successful business.
- “How One Man’s Love for Potatoes Turned into a $5 Million Online Business”
This story is about Alex Craig, who started a website called Potato Parcel where he would send personalized messages on potatoes.
His business gained popularity and he has since expanded into other products, such as potato socks and potato candles.
He has been featured on various media outlets and his business has grown to make millions of dollars in revenue.
- “Pet Rock Creator Gary Dahl Turned a Silly Idea into a Million-Dollar Business”
This story is about Gary Dahl, who famously created and marketed Pet Rocks in the 1970s.
Despite being a seemingly ridiculous idea, the Pet Rock became a massive success, with Dahl selling millions of Pet Rocks and becoming a millionaire in the process.
READ: How This 9-5’er Made Millions Selling Free Rocks In His Spare Time
wealthlab is a platform for hustlers, doers, entrepreneurs and investors to do epic s&%. Our mission is to create 100M new investors worldwide. Join our academy here.*
Don’t miss:
- ‘I work just 2 hours a day’: A 24-year-old who makes $8,000 a month in passive income shares her best business advice
- This 38-year-old makes $160,000 per month in passive income—after losing his job: ‘I work only 5 hours a week now’
- This 33-year-old mom makes $760,000 a year in passive income—and lives on a sailboat: ‘I work just 10 hours a week’
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Yes, you read that right.
If there’s anything the pandemic taught us, it’s that the paradigm of “office” and “workspace” has been shaken to its CORE.
Universities are teaching via Zoom, court dates are done virtually, FULLY REMOTE businesses are valued at $1B+, and legitimate Inc. 5000 startups are run from…wherever. 📲
This is my office for the day…
I am actually running our business from the beach, typing this from here.
It’s 4:28 pm CET, which means it’s 10:28 am EST and I am CRUSHING my to-do list.
(And the team will continue to crush it while I’m asleep. That’s the 🗝)
So how did we get here?
We launched NYCE and our mission to create 100,000 millionaires in March, 2020…just as the global COVID-19 lockdown happened. 😳
As a result, we shut down our main office and set EVERYTHING up to run remotely…
SMOOTHLY! And a system that allows us to outperform competition by 200%. (You can build this system, too. More on this in a second.)
Here’s what we were able to do since then:
- Gained 6M+ followers across all platforms 📈
- Add 1500+ new apartments to the portfolio 🤑
- Grow to $300M in real estate 🚀
- 105% investor returns 🎉
- 700K+ community members 🤝
And here’s the best part…
Having team members in all the main time zones gives us a 24-hour work cycle vs. 9-5/eight-hour on-the-clock performance.
This means we get 3x the productivity of a similar company. 🔥
Let me repeat that…3x PRODUCTIVITY vs. our competitors.
Meanwhile our project management software grants us 24-hour TEAM-WIDE connectivity that tracks all tasks and lets us know if productivity dips even a little bit.
There is ALWAYS someone senior awake. It could be Martin in Barcelona…Nat in New York…Vineet & Arif in New Delhi.
All the while giving YOU GUYS wealth hacks and daily content. 🔥
OK, so how can you do it?!
Well, the first step is to have an actual side hustle you’re launching. Not just an idea, a validated business.
MAJOR KEY: Do NOT spend money until you’ve made your FIRST DOLLAR! 🗝🗝🗝🗝
(You can catch a replay Business Launch masterclass here and see TRIBE member Nessa launched her business on the spot and got her first $45K client shortly after.)
One of the easiest ways to start is with Airbnb—you can start that in 10 minutes. Literally. (Here’s a guide if you need it.)
Once you have your business, you build a virtual infrastructure (you really just need two softwares, which are FREE), manage the team accordingly and run the business from there.
I’m gonna put together a step-by-step video breakdown this weekend inside the new TRIBE U on the FIVE key things you need to do this for YOURSELF. 💵 💎
From what software to use, how to build a team, how to keep.
In the meantime, drop a comment if you’re ready to build some wealth and any questions if you want more…
Let’s get to work. 🙌
PS: If you can’t be bothered with video and just wanna get to work, we’re hosting a TRIBE U workshop that will help you get this process started on the spot. It’s $479 $49. 🔥
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